Mine
by JigsawPuzzle48
Summary: Eric and Lizzie have been friends since forever, she was the shy brains he was the flirty beauty but he never realized that the one person he loved the most had always been right there. "And you've never considered the possibility of her being a girl you could date?" "C'mon Cor, she's not a girl, she's Lizzie! She's... She's my..." "She's your what, Eric?" "She's MY Lizzie."
1. Intro

The Beauty.

 **Eric Matthews**

The Brains.

 **Elizabeth Young**

Their story.

Eric Randall Matthews is the oldest son of Alan and Amy Matthews, brother to Cory, Morgan and Joshua. He had always been a popular stud, constantly going out on dates with pretty girls. Although he feigns stupidity most of the times, he is actually quite intelligent and shows little moments of wisdom.

Elizabeth May Young, often referred to as simply Lizzie by her friends, has been by his side ever since kindergarten. They shared a love for chocolate chip cookies that went beyond appreciating the deliciousness of the treat, which others considered somewhat weird. And they stayed friends through middle school all the way to high school.

Eric is an idiot. He never thinks before he speaks and the number one thing on his mind is dating, followed by his ego and his sense of humor that makes up for pretending to lack a pair of brains. His eyes were always wandering off to the pretty girls across the hall, and constantly ended up in heartache. But as his best friend starts changing before his very eyes, he begins to realize that his heart had already been in another person's hands. And she had been right in front of him this entire time.

Elizabeth is one of the smartest girls in her class. It's no surprise, her parents had invested a lot of money in private tutoring. Being the sole daughter and heir to the company had it's responsibilities after all. She had to get into a good college, marry a good guy and one day become the head of the Young Corp. empire. The one constant thing in her life was her best friend, whom she supported throughout all of his dimwitted endeavours, watching from a distance as she kept her own heart under lock and key as he remained oblivious. But when times get tough, will she find the loving arms she had been searching for?

 _"You are the best thing that's ever been mine."_


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Boy Meets World or Girl Meets World franchise. All rights belong to ABC-family, Disney and other labels and companies involved with this franchise. Characters you don't recognize belong to me unless stated otherwise.**

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" _Romeo and Juliet_." Feeny's voice snapped everyone back to attention as he began speaking, a desperate attempt to teach the lack lustered high school juniors. "Written by William Shakespeare early on in his career and undoubtedly one of his most popular plays during his lifetime. A tale of two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families."

A yawn escaped Eric's lips as he leaned his head on his hand, hidden behind his textbook. English literature was one of his least favorite subject, really all of school was his least favorite subject aside from perhaps lunch.

"They have become emblematic of young lovers and doomed love and scholars often explore the language and context behind the romance." Feeny continued as he started pacing through the rows of students. "The play touches various subjects such as love, fate, duality, and time and educates anyone who tries their hand at this masterpiece, of the innocence of love and the lethalness of pride."

Feeny was well aware that Eric was barely paying attention, he had seen the raised textbook disguise too many times and knew the boy far too well to believe he had actually shown some interest. " _If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this…_ " He quoted as he stopped next to his desk. "Mr. Matthews, could you please recite the next line, seeing as you are participating so uncharastically intensely?"

Eric winced as he looked up at his next door neighbor and teacher, who held the book in his hands and stared down at the boy. "Of course! Uh… I mean, I could but..." He flashed his signature sleazy smile as he leaned in his seat. "You're so much better at that, Mr. Feeny."

" _My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss_." A voice from a row ahead spoke up, both men turned as the brown haired girl turned around with a proud smile. Unlike Eric, Lizzie had been paying attention and reading along with Mr. Feeny.

"Such profanity!" Eric gasped at her with a disgusted tone of voice, which prompted Feeny to turn his head back to the boy in front of him.

"It's actually rather innocent. They spoke using metaphors which was a form of communication many etiquette authors recommended." Lizzie replied as she shook her head, she didn't expect him to know that part of English literature. Sometimes it amazed her that he ever learned to read. "By using metaphors of saints and sins, Romeo was able to test Juliet's feelings for him in a non-threatening way."

"The innocence of love." Feeny agreed. "Very good, Miss Young, I'm glad at least someone read the curriculum during the summer."

"Hey, I read too!" the blond protested. "I read the entire list. Twice!"

" _You_ read every book on the list?" She arched a brow as she stared at her best friend. There was no way that could have been true, she knew what he was busy doing during the summer and the only reading he did was reading a girl's number off a piece of paper.

"No, I read the entire list."

"Why am I even still surprised..." The elder sighed as he returned to the front of the class just in time for the bell to ring. "I would advise you to delve into the material on the list, we will be discussing several acts of the play in the upcoming weeks, and at the end of this semester you will have to present your own essay stating how the moral of this classic tale can be applied to our modern day society. It will count for 50 percent of your grade."

"But the play is so long and they're not even using real English. I'll have to search the definition of every word in this book!" Eric jumped, his tone as whining as ever when he tried to get out of the reading assignment he already didn't care about..

"Then I suggest you better start reading..." He could have sworn that he spotted a smirk on the teacher's face as Eric quickly grabbed his belongings and disappeared out of the classroom.

Lizzie was heading for her locker when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. She frowned as her eyes met the assailant, who was looking desperate as ever. "Yes?"

"Liz, you've got to help me!" He begged hopelessly and he desperately held onto his friend's arm. "It counts for 50 percent of our grade! I'll never be able to pass Feeny's class like that!"

"Soo… Here's an idea," She arched a brow as she pulled her arm out of his grip. "How about you open a book and start reading?"

"Reading? Liz, you know me! I don't read!" He scoffed, school in general came easy for the eldest Matthews boy but he never bothered to actually open a book and read. He usually got smart girls to do his homework in exchange for a date for which he ended up canceling with some sort of excuse like being sick. It's funny how these girls were practically geniuses and still fell for his lame excuse.

"You need to stop being so lazy if you wanna graduate, Eric!" She couldn't help but utter a soft chuckle as she shook her head.

"I'm not lazy, I just choose to spend my time more efficiently, focussing on the more important things in life."

"Such as?"

"Such as… Figuring out how to ask Chelsea Jones out on a movie Friday night!" A sly grin curled his lips as she noticed his eyes shift focus to the blonde haired girl across the hall, eagerly chatting away with her equally bubbly friends. Typical, of course he would prioritize dating over education.

"Yeah… Good luck with that!" She snorted and wanted to walk away but Eric quickly blocked her path.

"But if I fail this class, my parents will ground me until I'm 50!" He continued, once again whining. "Meaning I will die lonely and undateable!"

"Well, if you're expecting to still be living with your parents until you're 50, I seriously suggest you start focusing on school." A playful smirk curled her lips. "Or find a rich girl to marry you so all you have to do is sit around and look pretty."

"Sit around and look pretty? That's what I'm best at!" His expression changed completely as he could already imagine himself living in a golden mansion with a thousand servants all adoring him for his handsome looks. "Hey, you're rich! Marry me!"

"Excuse me?!" Her eyes widened as she looked back at her friend. Was he being serious right now? He knew she was joking about marrying a rich person, didn't he?

Eric couldn't keep up his straight face as he watched her expression change from bothered to shocked, bursting out laughing as he playfully nudged her shoulder. "Can you imagine? You and me? Married? That would be, like, totally weird right?" He clutched his stomach as he continued laughing.

"That's so not funny!" She growled, punching his shoulder. "You should take your future more seriously! Study, get good grades, graduate, make a plan!"

"We're way too young to be thinking about stupid things as the future!" Eric shook his head, rubbing away the tears that had formed in his eyes from laughing too loud. "But I am serious about needing your help though. I can't understand a word that Shakespeare wrote, I'll never be able to get through it."

"And why should I help you?"

"Because I'm your bestest friend in the whole wide world, and you're like the smartest girl I know, and you wouldn't want to see me fail at life, would you?" He stared at her with the most innocent face he could muster.

"Bestest…?" She sighed, rubbing her temple thoughtfully before finally giving in. "Fine. I can help you get through the reading material and explain all the words your pretty little head can't understand."

"So my place after school?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Awesome. Now if you would excuse me..." He grinned proudly, running his fingers through his hair quickly before turning his gaze back to the blonde across the hall, "I have a date to arrange."


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Boy Meets World or Girl Meets World franchise. All rights belong to ABC-family, Disney and other labels and companies involved with this franchise. Characters you don't recognize belong to me unless stated otherwise.**

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"Yo! What's for dinner? I'm starving!" Eric slammed the door open as he marched into the kitchen, tossing his bag aside as his feet carried him straight to the fridge. "Can I have a snack? 'Kay thanks!" He rambled as he swung the fridge door open and reached for the plate of brownies his mother had stored on the first row.

"Excuse you, young man!" Amy Matthews placed her hands on her hips as she followed her son with stern eyes as he practically devoured the first brownie. "I raised you better than just to storm in and yell 'what's for dinner' like that!"

"I know, you raised me to get my own food when I'm hungry, so I am!" He nodded proudly as he took a bite out of the second brownie.

"She means that you could at least greet your mother instead of storming in like that," Lizzie explained with a somewhat amused grin as she walked over to the boy and snatched the plate out of his hands. "And she probably also raised you well enough to know that snacks before dinner will ruin your appetite!"

"I greeted her!" Eric protested as he made a desperate attempt to reach for the plate, but she kept it out of his reach. "I said 'Yo', didn't I?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes as she placed the plate of brownies on the counter, looking at his mother with an apologetic smile on her face. "Don't worry Mrs. Matthews, most parents count the first born as an experiment, at least you still have Cory and Morgan."

"Hey! I heard that!"

"Oh Liz, sometimes I wish you were my daughter instead!" Amy nodded with a soft sigh. She loved each of her children dearly, but even she was amazed by the antics her son came up with time and time again. That's why she enjoyed having Lizzie around the house as much as she was. Part of her hoped that she could somehow influence Eric, that some of her manners and knowledge would rub off on him. And part of her was glad to have a somewhat normal conversation for a change.

"Seriously, I'm right here!"

"Me too, Mrs. Matthews!" The two merely exchanged glances to know what the other was thinking, so she rolled with it. "But I'm happy to pretend to be your daughter while I'm here!"

"Oh, finally a child to be proud of!" Amy laughed as she walked around the kitchen counter and hugged the dark haired girl.

"Ok, now that hurt!" Eric pouted as he plopped down on the chair, sulking like a little child.

"That's what you get for being rude to your mother," Lizzie stuck out her tongue as she sat opposite of him and started unpacking her books. She opened her notebook and held her pen at the ready to write down anything he had issues with. "Alright, what act did you start having trouble with the wording?"

"How many acts does it have?"

"Five."

"Oh, then I guess around…" He hummed thoughtfully, his face making it seem like he was seriously contemplating the exact moment he started to struggle with the reading material. "Act one, page one."

Lizzie stared at her friend with utter disbelief. She wasn't quite sure if he was joking or seriously couldn't even get through the first act. "That's the prologue..."

Eric snapped his fingers before pointing at her with a pleased grin, "Exactly! It's too complicated."

" _Two households, both alike in dignity. In fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, do with their death bury their parents' strife._ " Lizzie recited off the top of her head, it was one of the most famous lines from the entire play that people usually link to the title without any hesitation. "What's so complicated about that."

"Who talks like that? I mean, _piteous_ is that even real English?" He ridiculed as he started fiddling with the piece of paper in front of him.

She couldn't help to roll her eyes at his stupidity. "Oh no, it's only the work of the greatest English writer and poet of all time we're talking about. Of course, it's English!"

"But what in the world is _piteous_?"

"Your brain, that's what's piteous!" Another voice piped up, the two glanced up as Cory, Eric's curly haired younger brother entered the kitchen with his friend Shawn.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Eric shot back. "We're doing homework, so beat it pipsqueak."

"I didn't know paper airplanes were part of the curriculum," Cory snorted as he snatched the newly folded paper airplane out of his older brother's hands. "Sign me up for that class!"

"For your information, this requires a lot of skill," Eric seemed genuinely proud of his accomplishment as he snatched his airplane back and flicked the younger boy's forehead.

Rubbing her temples in frustration, she leaned back in her seat before raising her gaze back to her friend. "Eric, are you even taking this seriously? Cause you know I hate wasting my time and right now it definitely feels like I am."

"I am taking this very seriously..." Eric said before proudly holding up his newly folded piece of paper which he had turned into a basic airplane. "Look. I'm an engineer!"

"We're working on English, Eric. Focus!"

"You're tutoring him English?" Shawn questioned, followed by a loud and somewhat exaggerated laughter. "Good luck with that!"

"Laugh all you want, Hunter." Eric glared at the leather clad boy as he held his airplane ready to toss towards his victims. "Wait till you're in Feeny's class and have to deal with this nonsense written 500 years ago!"

"Romeo and Juliet is not nonsense, it's one of the greatest and most tragic love stories ever written." She wasn't even sure why she was still trying to defend the purpose and credibility of Shakespeare as it didn't seem to register with the boy whom she had known since kindergarten.

"Romeo and Juliet, huh?" Shawn repeated with a mischievous smile painting his lips as he approached the only girl in the room, kneeled down dramatically as "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet!"

Eric and Cory exchanged glances of confusion and second-hand embarrassment as Lizzie seemed genuinely surprised by the fact that he managed to quote a line correctly.

For as long as she knew Eric, she had also known Cory and by association also knew his best friend Shawn Hunter. He used to be all about the mischief but as they started high school, turned into a real ladies man, mostly because girls fell for his rebel-with-a-cause act. He didn't always act like it, but he still had some brains in that fancy haired head of his as was the case with Eric. The difference being that Eric just refused to show it. Ever.

"Impressive, Hunter." She flashed him an encouraging smile while taking her hand back which he had taken in his own and very gallantly kissed in his little dramatic act. "I'm sure you made many hearts swoon with that line, right?"

"Why did you think I remembered it?" He laughed as he got back to his feet. As he grew older he noticed that girls seemed to swoon and fall when quoting cheesy lines and started picking some up for his own game.

"You mean that stuff actually works on girls?" Cory wasn't very impressed, unlike his friend he had trouble with getting girls to like him. Ever since high school, he even had trouble dealing with his sudden hormonal driven feelings for his other middle-school friend Topanga, who became a lot less weird over summer.

"Oh yeah!" The leather-clad boy nodded proudly. "Chicks dig the romantic mush, Cor. It's a surefire. Especially when you're trying to impress the upper classmen."

"Yeah, right." Eric scoffed, not believing for a second that the girls in his year would ever even bat an eyelash when it came to Shawn and Cory or any of their age. "Keep dreaming, pipsqueak!"

"Well, ask Lizzie. She would be the expert." Shawn pointed out as he turned to the girl again.

"Liz, you're a girl and you're an upperclassman," Cory started, actually wondering if Shawn was telling the truth since his friend was known for bragging about a lot of things.

"Excellent observation," She couldn't resist rolling her eyes as he stated the obvious. "You Matthews boys sure are perceptive."

"Would mushy romantic stuff like reciting poetry and stuff really work?" Cory ignored the blatant sarcasm in her words as he continued his question. Eric turned his eyes to his best friend as well, curious what her answer would be.

"I think a guy who isn't afraid to show his vulnerable side definitely makes him more appealing." Lizzie agreed. "It makes them seem mature and sensitive, romantic even! Women don't want boys that play in the dirt, they want men who they can level with emotionally."

"See?" Shawn nodded proudly, thankful Lizzie was backing up what he was trying to point out although he hadn't reasoned it as deeply as she had just done.

"Shawn, you have the emotional level of a stick." Cory continued, still not getting how showing a soft side would make girls fall for him.

"So, what you're saying is… If I rhyme a few words and cry about some puppies, Chelsea would definitely go out with me?" Eric's mind was working overtime as he was slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle, his only concern being if his current crush of the week would go out with him.

"I suppose, theoretically, it could increase your chances?" She arched a brow, worried where he was going with this. "But it also depe-"

She didn't get time to finish her sentence as Eric jumped up from his seat with a wide goofy smile plastered on his face. "That's it! Thanks, Liz, you're a lifesaver!" He practically yelled as he bolted away from the table and up the stairs to his room.

"But-" Lizzie stared after him, dumbfounded for a moment before letting out a loud and disappointing sigh. "Why do I even bother?"

"Don't. Even our parents tried, he's a hopeless case." Cory pointed out as he sat down on the seat where Eric sat earlier. "That's why we had Morgan."

"Speaking of hopelessness," Shawn's mischievous smile reappeared as he casually leaned against the table, eyes locked with Lizzie's. "Pick you up at seven?"

"Doesn't work on me, doofus!" She flicked his forehead with a soft chuckle before grabbing her things and leaving.

"Eh, worth a shot." Shawn shrugged and plopped down on the empty seat.

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 **Terribly sorry for the long wait, I have been experiencing some motivational issues so I couldn't write for the life of me. I think I got my mojo back so hopefully, updates will come out more regularly.**

 **Thanks for the support so far 3**


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